Five months later, several massive, sinister-looking warships tore through the tranquility of Planet Yardrat's outer orbit.
When the distinctive emblem of the Frost Demon Clan appeared on the monitoring screens, the entire planet fell into a brief dead silence, then erupted in massive panic.
"It's Cooler's fleet! Cooler, the Cosmic Demon!"
"Quick! Sound the highest alert! All combat personnel to their positions!"
Screaming alarms echoed across the planet, and the Yardrats assembled with astonishing efficiency. Although this race, known for their 'secret techniques', did not glorify pure violence, they were far from defenseless.
In the original work, Frieza had even needed to deploy the Ginyu Force to deal with this planet, proving its strength.
However, seeing the scale of the fleet, with the flagship ten kilometers long and escort ships packed like a school of sharks… even the most optimistic Yardrat elders had grave expressions.
The fleet hovered in planetary orbit. Just as the Yardrat warriors gripped their weapons, preparing for the worst, the control tower received a communication request from the flagship.
"Put it through!" The High Priest, responsible for defense, gritted his teeth and ordered.
The screen lit up, but instead of the expected cold, four-horned demonic face, a young man with refined features appeared.
"Greetings, everyone. No need for alarm." The man's voice was calm and clear. "I am the new master of this fleet, Chiaki Setsuna. Cooler has been defeated by me and has become my subordinate. This fleet is now under my control and poses no threat to your planet."
Silence filled the control room. The Chief stared intently at the screen, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Why... why should we trust you?"
"Because if I had ill intentions, you would be unable to resist." Setsuna glanced at Cooler. Cooler immediately understood and stepped outside the ship. The screen switched to an external view.
In the cold void, Cooler hovered outside the flagship, his four-horned head slowly turning. His crimson pupils locked onto a barren, gray-brown rocky planet near Planet Yardrat, about sixty million kilometers away with a diameter of roughly five thousand kilometers.
Cooler extended the index finger of his right hand. A point of dark purple light, brighter than a star, appeared at his fingertip. Then, with a gentle tap…
Hum!
A massive energy beam shot out silently. About six minutes later, Planet Yardrat's observation screens captured the destruction of that planet.
In the control room, all the Yardrats who witnessed this turned pale, their breath nearly stopping. Their race was not considered weak in the universe... they had powerful warriors with power levels exceeding ten thousand.
But what Cooler had just demonstrated was the terrifying ability to destroy a planet with a casual flick of his finger from tens of millions of kilometers away. What an appalling level of energy was that?
Although Planet Yardrat was nearly a hundred times larger than that small planet, the monster capable of destroying planets was also right nearby. No fleet was needed. If that monster pointed his finger casually, they would become cosmic dust.
"Such power..." The Chief murmured, his fingers trembling. "If we were targeted..."
"That's why I said there's no need to deceive you." Setsuna's voice returned, the screen switching back to the main view.
The Chief closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Then..." he opened his eyes again, striving to keep his voice steady, "what is your purpose?"
"Simple." Setsuna leaned back in his seat, relaxing. "I merely wish to learn your planet's famous [Instant Transmission] secret technique."
He paused, then added: "As for bringing this fleet, it was only to let them get acquainted with their new master. Absolutely no intention of showing force or threatening your planet."
The Chief's mouth twitched slightly, 'You said this wasn't a threat?'
But he dared not voice that thought.
"Instant Transmission is one of our core inherited secret techniques," The Chief chose his words carefully. "Only the most elderly sages of our race have mastered it..."
He observed Setsuna's expression, and seeing no signs of anger, continued: "But rest assured, we will certainly communicate with the sage and persuade him to impart the technique to you."
"Very well." Setsuna nodded in satisfaction, then changed tack. "To express my gratitude for Planet Yardrat's friendly attitude, I have decided to include your planet as a founding member of the [Universal Gourmet Alliance] I am about to establish."
"...Gourmet Alliance?" The Chief was stunned, and the elders behind him exchanged bewildered glances.
'What kind of bizarre development was this? One moment, displaying planet-destroying intimidation... the next, talking about gourmet food?'
"Indeed," Setsuna said with complete seriousness. "Exploring the gourmet cultures of the universe, gathering the characteristic cuisines of various galaxies, creating an interstellar platform for gourmet exchange… these will be the core goals of the future alliance."
Looking at the bewildered Yardrats on the screen, he smiled: "Don't doubt it. It's literal. Even we who stand at the apex of power need some seasoning in life."
The expression on the Chief's face grew even stranger. He simply couldn't connect the image of a cosmic overlord who had subjugated Cooler with that of a 'gourmet enthusiast'.
'Truly, the ideas of great figures are hard to fathom,' The Chief sighed inwardly, but forced a proper smile onto his face. "Becoming a founding member of the [Gourmet Alliance] is an honor for our race. We will fully cooperate with your... gourmet endeavor."
...
In the following days, the fleet left the Yardrat system in batches, heading to different galaxies for 'gourmet collection' missions.
Inside an unremarkable cave.
"The essence of the secret technique is to perceive the flow of Ki and resonate with it," The Yardrat sage personally instructed, his withered fingers tracing strange patterns in the air. "All things in the universe possess Ki, differing only in strength and characteristics. Our secret technique finds the Ki signature of a specific target, then synchronizes one's own Ki with it to achieve teleportation."
Setsuna pondered. The Ki Signature the sage spoke of should be 'strings'… creating a miniature wormhole by playing the 'strings' of the universe.
The sage continued: "To perceive these Ki signatures, the most important factor is spiritual strength. The stronger your spiritual strength, the easier the training."
Setsuna learned quickly, not only because his soul was immensely powerful, but also because he already knew how to teleport.
For a Gold Saint who had mastered the Seventh Sense, teleportation was almost instinct. However, his teleportation was limited to within a planet or between very close planets.
To teleport across countless light-years like Goku, perhaps only a Cosmo of Hades or Poseidon's caliber could achieve it.